Tufting machine



April 4, 1961 Filed March 4, 1958 J. A. COBBLE, SR., ETAL TUFTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS JAMES ACOBBLE,SR. JAMES A. COBBLEJR.

ATTORNEYS Ap l 4, 1961 J. A. COBBLE, sR.. ET AL 2,977,905

TUFTING MACHINE Filed March 4, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR5 JAMES A. COBBLE,SR. JAMES A. COBBLE JR.

ATTORNEYS April 4, 1961 J. A. COBBLE, SR., ET AL 2,977,905

TUFTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS WW WXW Filed March 4, 1958 ATTORNEYS April 1961 J. A. COBBLE, sR., ET AL 2,977,905

TUFTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 4, 1958 INVENTORS JAMES A.COBBLE,SR. JAMES A.COBBLE,JR

ATTORNEYS April 4, 1961 J. A. COBBLE, sR., ET AL 2,977,905

TUFTING MACHINE Filed March 4, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS JAMES A.CO B SR AMES A.CO B .JR MWQM7 y- ATTORNEYS appropriately changing the vertical pos oniof and facilitate aldjust'rncn'tiof the machmetd inns 2,9732% TUFIING MACHINE J m s A- Cob e, 5. 39 acnn a Poin Harr s n Tana,

and Jams A; Cobble, i 3: 2 n 436, Ea t cn t- This invention relates to machines for forming .tutted 15 articles; that is, article ssuch as rugs, carpets and the like defined by a backing having face pile thereon. Such machines are commonly called htufting machines! 'and are operable to form on the backing a face pile composed of out pile tufts and/or uncut pile loops'whichmay be anranged in some suitable pattern to produce a decorative effect. As is understood, tufting machines operate on previously. formed backings, and in this senseare distinguishable from weaving machines or' looms wherein 'pile is provided in a fabric backing simultaneously with the weaving. operation forming the backing.

Conventional tufting machines usually include a gang 1 of thread or yarn carrying needles, a gang of thread'lenigageable members, such as loopers'and/or cutters, below the needles and operatiyely associated therewith; and a bed plate and needle plate disposed intermediate the needles. and loopers or cutters. The needle usually are reciprocate'd in a vertical stroke to pass yarn through a backing moving through the machine and supported by the bed plate and needle Plate. The loopers and/or cutters engage t yarn fte i has pa sed th ough the backing and form the appropriate cut pile tufts or uncut 1. p e ops- Thus each of the n edles and ts as o iat d new and/or cutter can; o m a l e o st ghin i the backing t pro id t fa e p l In some conventional tuiting machines when it is desi ed to chan e he dep h of th i e b n ro uced t ver ca po t n of the needle p at ha to e dih edt as y emov n t rqm the bed Bla and sh tmt ia it hp r do o h r t os t on- A the amatims 1. ever, it is necessary for the strokeof the needl :to be in as d Q '.iE1 ?l@ Pil deat s! slsq eas rea ed e 'dnath, fleretai e su h sha t-sq the str ke of e ne dl s w lsi a er. he strata a 'b th nsls th i f'the ro e w r s st t e assetgo wn =alow r g it p t fgt 'at sit a .a" b s on a he e Th s bvis slr-shag sithe F91??? h' ns n o s'nccs es t th lPQR ISa Q cutt rs wh n more he eby mei 1 5 y e' t sd neqe s ta ng s me urther adj needles in the needle carrier, in 0 er theib I o he n l st ke W r has t med in marv ls: .tion to the loopers and/or cutters...

rs h ab nth P. C an; m k s th P s i "of adjustment or themachines for chang s in pile depth arduous, time consuming and demanding. QOur inve'n tion, accordinglyfha's for aprinci'pal bb'f ive'theIproyisioniniufting machines of no vel'struct .es arrang'e and cpmbinationsparticula produced. x Additional and more sp 'fi pblje'cts 1 a Mas araa o n h r hne sas awehe la i -t r id! ,mgfi j 'Referring now to the drawings, an exemplary type of ,l'i'asl 2,977,905 Ratented Apr. 4, 1961 Another disadvantage of conventional tufting machines isthe danger of'having lubricant leak from the driving means for the needles onto the backing and yarn. As -is customary, the driving means for the needles is positioned above theneedl'es and backing and unless extreme care is taken lubricant may leak down the driving needle bars connected to the needles and onto the backing. This invention, thus, has for a further object the provision of a novel structural arrangement, in the driving means for reciprocating the needles, particularly adapted to eliminate the danger of lubricant leaking onto the backme Eurther objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The novel features of the invention may be best made glear trout. the following description and accompanying .a' awi as which:

' F h s aper pecl ve ie o n xemp a y onr'ut" n of tufting machine to which the present inven- Figure 2 is' an enlarged, fragmentary andpartially gut away View of the 'right'hand end of the machine of E'gure 1, and .vvith'certain structure omitted for conyenieIiCe of illt'1strat ion; i

Figure 3 isancnlarged, fragmentary view of aportion machine of Figure "1, also at r ght ca l h h .SQII'fiEPQfls omitted for'convenience of'illustration;

viewdf h rear of the needle stripper showing an ex.-

, partsfat the right hand end of the machine emplary ma of attachingit to the needlebar .tu fti ng machine is shown in Figure .lfand identified by niimeir'al' 20. As" is understood and as will be again -referredto inrnfoi "detail hereinafter, these machines n lud a'g'ang o fye 'rtically reciprocableindis carrying thread or yarn, and a gang of op'er andYoii'cutter mechanisms generally allyaligr'ied with the needles and 'disposed'there- 1. Ea hen. a nee Plate and needle flar usually provided intermediate the needles and loopers, and form a passageway ,therebetween through which the workpiece is red; The needles conventionally are car.-

, iied by a needle carrier. extending transversely of the directionfof feed for-the v.ukorkpiece, and a driving bar ,or bars is. or. are connected to the heedlecarrier. to impart Ihedesired stitching stroke thereto. 7 While our invention is particularly applicable to this type of tuft"- jng machine, it should be evident .from the following desc'riptioh of 'thei-llustrative embodiments. thereof that the, invention is also applicable to ,other types of tufti 8 .mlaqhihes XamP e-t m h e whe e n a s e ne dl and. a sih le ooper and/pr c tter ethariism are ntilizedr Figure 41s an enlarged and fragmentary perspective as is may 3 concerned with the provision of improved structures for simplifying and facilitating adjustment of the machine to obtain the desired depth of face pile in the finished article, and also to eliminate lubricant leakage on the workpiece.

In achieving these purposes, it is contemplated by this invention that the needle plate and needle stripper be wh n.

and the invention contemplates that any suitable variety thereof may be utilized.

constructed as a unitary structure and further, that A novel means be provided for permitting convenient manual adjustment of the vertical position thereof. It is also contemplated that a novel device be included in the driving means for the needles so that the reciprocating stroke of the needles may be adjusted, as desired, yet without varying one of the two limit positions in the stroke; that is, the needle stroke is adjustable, but all the adjustment occurs at one end of the stroke while the position of the other end of the stroke remains constant. Thus, the invention comprehends these two novel aspects both in combination and individually. And, additionally, it is contemplated that the needle driving means include novel structure for preventing leaks of lubricant.

General organization Referring again to the exemplary tufting machine 20 illustrated in the drawings, the gang of needles 22 is shown carried by a transverse needle carrier 24 located below a housing 26 extending between the vertical frame or chassis sections 28. The needle carrier 24 preferably is driven by vertical needle bars 25 attached thereto and extending into housing 26 through collars 27 carried by the housing (see Figures 2 and 6). Any suitable number of needle bars 25 may be used. As will be more fully explained hereinbelow, the means for reciprocating the needle bars 25 to drive the needles 22 are arranged in housing 26. The machine includes any suitable source of power, such as the prime mover indicated by numeral 38 at the bottom of the right hand frame section 28 -(see Figure 2). As the needles 22 move up and down, they pass the yarn or thread 40 (Figure 6) carried thereby through the backing 36 (Figure 3). The yarn will be fed to the needles in any known manner by any appropriate means (not shown).

Suitable means, designated 30, are provided at the infeed side of the machne for directing the workpiece into position below the needles. This means may include upper and lower transverse feed rollers 32 (see Figures 3 and 4) journalled in brackets 34 connected to the frame sections 28, as shown. One or both of these rollers may be appropriately driven and the workpiece or backing 36 may pass, for example, under the lower roller, between the rollers, and over the top roller into the machine.

The backing will be fed through the machine at the proper rate from left to right as viewed in Figure 6, passing over needle plate 42 under the needle stripper 44 and over rear bed plate 45 to an appropriate take-off device (not shown). The inner or rearward end of the needle plate 42, as shown, includes a comb-type structure 46 (see Figure 4) through which the various needles pass after they have pierced the backing, as is understood.

Any suitable thread engaging members will be posi-' tioned underneath the needle plate 42 to coact with the needles for the purpose of forming the desired cut pile tufts or uncut pile loops or both in a manner well. understood in the art. Asindicatedin Figure 6, both a looper 48 and a cutter are associated with each needle 22. be used. If uncut pile loops are desired, only the loopers 48 will be used. And if decorative and varied patterns composed of both cut pile tufts and uncut pile loops are desired, both the loopers and cutters associated with each needle will be arranged for individual andindependf ent operation in a predetermined sequence. The struc During operation of this machine, as will be understood, the needles and looper-cutter mechanisms form spaced longitudinal lines of stitching in the backing 36, extending therethrough and forming face pile on one side of the backing. Among other things, the needle plate 42 and stripper 44 prevent undesirable movements of the backing 36 as the needles pass therethrough. To enable the depth of the face pile to be altered, the needle plate 42 and needle stripper 44 are designed of novel construction and novel means are provided for vertical adjustment thereof relative to the looper 48 and cutter 50.

Structure and mounting of needle plate and stripper The needle plate 42, as best seen in Figures 4 and 6, preferably extends between frame sections 28 and is mounted on the horizontal leg of an angle member 52 by any suitable means, such as the fasteners 54 shown in Figure 4. A front bed plate 56 is arranged below angle member 52, also extending between the frame sections 28. The plate 56 may be secured to the sections 28 in any desired manner. As indicated, the vertical legs of member 52 and plate 56 are mounted in slidable engagement. That is, the member 52 can be moved vertically relative to bed plate 56.

The novel means providing for convenient adjustment -of the position of the needle plate 42 and angle member 52 relative to the bed plate 56, in the illustrative embodiment thereof, includes a rack 58 arranged on the vertical leg of member 52 with a pinion gear 60 in engagement therewith, as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 6. Further, a shaft 62 for rotating the pinion gear extends therefrom, through bracket 34 to a worm wheel 64 (Figures 3, 5). This worm wheel may be disposed in a housing 66 suitably mounted on the adjacent frame section 28, and in which shaft 62 is journalled. A driving worm 68 is mounted in the upper part of housing 66 in engagement with the worm wheel 64, as shown in Figure 5, and the horizontal worm shaft 70 is journalled in the housing 66 and extends therethrough for connection to a manually operable means 72 shown in the form of a wheel or dial having handle 74 thereon.

As will be evident, rotation of the wheel 72 by handle 74 will be effective to cause appropriate vertical movement of the member 52 and needle plate 42 through the medium of the worm wheel 64, shaft 62, pinion and rack 58. Y

The bottom of the front bed plate 56 may be provided with an outwardly extending shoulder 76 to limit I downward movement of member 52 (see Figure 6).

If cut pile tufts are desired, the cutter 50 will And, if desired, suitable means may be provided to detachably fasten the member 52 to bed plate 56. Such means, for example, may include a bolt 78 extending through a vertical slot 80 in bed plate 56 and into member 52. Thus,- after the needle plate 42 has been'adjusted to the proper height relative to the stationary looper 48 and cutter 50, the bolt 78 may be tightened sothat the weight or pressure on the worm 68 and gears 60, 64 will be relieved. Any appropriate number of bolts 78 and slots 80 may be used, and the slots 80 may be formed in member 52 with the bolts 78 reversed and being tightened in bed plate 56, if desired.

The needle stripper 44 preferably is of angular cross section, as shown in Figure 6, and is substantially coextensive with needle plate 42. Means are provided for connecting the stripper 44 to the plate 42 to make them, in effect, a unitary structure. I In the illustrative embodiment, this means includes brackets 82 connected to the needle plate 42 atv each end thereof, and extending rearwardly in themachine for connection toa transverse bar 84 located above the stripper' 44 (see Figures}, 4, 6 and Vertical connecting pieces 86 suspend the stripper 44 ture and opcrationof towers and cutters are well known 5'5 from the bar 84, as best shown in Figure 9'. Brackets 82 means 'forrso roitatin'g' the shaft assess s .5 mavbs wnne ed to plate 4 an b r 84 y any acnvenier t means, as by fasteners 8:8;while the bar, 84,. as bestfseen in Figures 6 and 9, may be detachably con-. nected to. alip 89 depending from the rear of the. needle bar collars 27 by a bolt 90 and slot 92. conneetion whereby the position of bar 84 relative to the collars. 27 can be varied Similarly, a bolt 94 and slot 96 arrangement may be used for connecting the vertical pieces 86 tov the bar 84. a

' Itwill be appreciated that by reason of this arrangemerlt, vertical adjustment of the positioning of needle plate 42 will be automatically accompanied by a corresponding movement of stripper 44. Bolts 78 and 90 will, of course, be loosened for each adjustment of the needle plate and stripper, and tightened thereafter. After the needle plate has been adjusted to a new height, the stroke of the needles 22 requires similar adjustment.

Needle bar drive and mounting means The illustrative embodiment of the adjustable needle bar drive, and mounting means is best seen in Figures 2, 6,7 and 8. As there shown, each of the collars 27 is mounted in the lower end of the housing 26 and may be securedthereto as by bolts 98; A vertical sleeve 100 is stationarily mounted in-the collar 27 (see Figure 6) and extends upwardly within housing-26.. Each'n eedle bar25 is slidably mounted within its respective sleeve 100, with stationary bushing means 102.being carried by the sleeves for engagement with the bars 25, as shown. These bush ing means 102 preferably are of the self-lubricating vari ety, and hence do not require liquid lubrication.

Carried by the upper end of each of the needle bars 25 is a tubular shield '104 depending therefromand surrounding the upper end of the sleeve 100, as shown. The lower ends of the needle bars are suitably drivingly con.- nected to the needle carrier 24,, and as the needle bars are reciprocated, the shield 104wil1 always be in a posie tioncovering the open upperend of the sleeve 100, thereby protecting against any flow of lubricant into the sleeve and down the sleeve onto the backing 36. Such lubricant might come from the various lubricated ,rnoving parts in the housing 26 to be described more fully hereipbelow. i

A main shaft 106 is rotatably mounted in the housing 26 aboveltheneedle bars 25, as by pillow block bearings; 108.carriedbycrosspieces. 110 joined to housing 26, as

shown in Fig ures land 6. Anysuitable. humber and spacing Ofthesezbearings 108 andcross pieces v11.0 may be-utilized. Thisshaft 106.-isoonnectedto ihebarsYZS to impart rectilinear, reciprocating motion ihereto, -as'by a drive lever 112 andconnecting 'link.114 foreach needle bar- 25. The lever 112 extends radially outwardlyfrom shaft .1,06; directly above .the, respectiveneedle bar -25, i being drivingly connected 'to shaft 106,. asby the adjust- 5 'ship. {In our invention, novel means are provided for engaging the upper end of connecting rod 138 to lever 136 whereby the stroke of the needles can be changed without changing the bottom position of the stroke. This is accomplished by providing for a detachable engagein-g set screw" 1 16; tightly clamping the-split end of .the

3 lever around the shaft in the manner indicated. .At the free, bifurcatedend' 0f :leverI 1 12, a wrist-pin 118 is a a. v

4. "ot ldlbesevident .thatir'otat needle" @bars .92 Land thereby-,zpalsoi.thejneedles and of the shaft 126 y ext nd hrou h hesid a of the right h d,v frame sectio .8 and t ro a bearing suppor 1.2.8 o at a hme to a P lY s ea 139 d iv nglv connected by th be t .2.9 o h pull y ,32 on shaft 134 or mo -v A. ar member .3 m be P ded f is p y a d b rran ment. s indi ated in Figure 1. Although not shown, it will be understood that the other end of shaft 126 will be supported, for ex; ample, by being journalled in the opposite or left har d frame section 28. Additionally, intermediate bearing sup ports (not shown) for shaft 126 may be provided withip housing 26, as desired.

Adjacent one or both ends, preferably both ends; of the shaft 106, a circular cam 134 is eccentrically aflirred to shaft 126 (see Figure 7) to'i'be rotated thereby. above this earn 134, a drive lever 136 is attached to shaft 106. The end of this lever that engages the shaft may be split with a set screw 154 or the like effecting the driving connection with the shaft, as indicated. The lever 136 is operatively connected to the cam 134 by a connects ing rod 138. The lower end of the connecting rod 138 is journalled to the cam 134, as by the split sections 140 engaged around the cam and secured thereto by bolts 142 in the manner shown in Figures. 2 and 7. A hearing sleeve 144 may be interposed between the cam 134 and split sections 140, as shown.

As shaft 126 rotates, the action of the eccentrically mounted earn 134 will cause the rod 138 to be moved up and down as the cam rotates between bottom dead center position (shown in Figure 7) and top dead center position, therefrom, This up a nd down movement of therod 138 will produce an oscillation of lever 136, Whichin turn will effect periodic rotation of shaft 106in' opposite directions toreciprocate the needles 22, as dis cussed heretofore. Thevaction of the loopers 48 and cutters 50, as understood, will be coordinated with the reciprocation of the needles. This may be accomplished by appropriate operative connection of the loopers and cutters to the respective shafts 146, 148 mounted in the machine below shaft 126 as shown in Figure 2, and which in turn may be connected to shaft 126 to be driven thereby by any convenient power transmitting means, such as pile obtained on the backing will require corresponding adjustment of the stroke ofneedles 22, to assure that the needles will have the proper clearance abovethe backing in their upward stroke. If in their adjusted stroke the needles go down to a difi'erent-botton positiomthe re-. quired relationship between the needles and the loopers 48 and cutters 50 will be changed, thus necessitating some further adjustment to reestablish this required relation ment of the rod 138 to lever 136 whereby the pointo'f engagement therebetween may be varied along a circularly arcuate path having a radius of curvature drawn fromtlie 'geornetrie center of circular carn134 when the cam is i at bottom 'dead center (its Figure 7 position). Stated 1ink 114, Clamping-i set d. to clamp the 's lit; bi-

sornewhat differently, the rod 138 is detachably engage center of cnrvature'coincides withthe center of curvature of circular cam134 when'the cani is atbottom dead center and the needles-22 ther fore at the bottom'or'lower end, j ftheir=stroke 0 on d IEOtlOI'lS'WllLCfiClEl reci rocatm motion-of q v is e g 1 i In the llustratiye embodiment of th s feature of the inyention, the lever 136 is formed with an 7 15 2,therein (see ,Figdrejfihavingits center of cur re the latter is in its bottom dead center position. The upper end of rod 138 is connected to the lever by a bolt or pin 156 extending through slot 152. The upper end of rod 138 may be bifurcated, engaging lever 136 on opposite sides, with the bolt 156 extending therethrough and detachably held in position as by nut 158. Thus, in order to change the stroke of needles 22, the nut 158 will be loosened and the position of the upper end of rod 138 will be appropriately varied along the slot 152, toward or away from shaft 106, and the nut 158 will then be tightened to hold the rod in this new position. As will be evident, movement of the upper end of rod 138 toward or away from shaft 106 will change the amplitude of oscillation of lever 136 as rod 138 continues to move up and down through the same amplitude determined by the size of cam 134. It should further be evident that the amplitude of lever 136 will be decreased as the upper end of rod 138 is moved away from shaft 106, and increased as the upper end of rod 138 is moved closer to the shaft. This change in amplitude of lever 136 changes the amplitude of rotation of shaft 106 in both directions, which in turn changes the stroke of the needles 22 as a result of their connection to the shaft 106 described above.

It will be observed that whether the amplitude of the needle stroke is increased or decreased, the position of the bottom of its stroke will remain constant. That is to say, since the slot 152 is circularly arcuate about the geometric center of cam 134 when the latter is at bottom dead center, the position of lever 136 will always be the same when the cam 134 is at bottom dead center irrespective of the position of the upper end of rod 138 and bolt 156 relative to the shaft 106. Therefore, whether the bolt156 is at the outer or inner end of the slot 152, or in any other position relative thereto, lever 136 will always be in the position illustrated in Figure 7 when the cam 134 is at bottom dead center, this position corresponding to the bottom of the stroke of the needles 22 as previously stated. Hence, any adjustment of rod 138, toward or away from shaft 106, will alter the position of the top of the needle stroke only (i.e. the top of the oscillatory movement of lever 136), leaving the bottom of the stroke unchanged and thereby preserving the required relation between the loopers 48 and cutters 50 on the one hand, and the bottom of the needle stroke on the other hand.

Thus, it will be appreciated from the foregoing that the invention enables the machine to be conveinently adjusted to produce tufted articles having face pile of the desired depth. As already explained, all that is necessary is to operate the wheel or dial 72 which moves the needle plate 42 and stripper 44 vertically, and then appropriately adjust the position of the upper end of rod 138 on lever 136 to vary the stroke of the needles 22. No further adjustment of the vertical position of the needles 22 in their carrier 24 will be necessary. It will be understood that the yarn feed will be changed for eachadjustment of the machine to obtain a different depth of face pile. Any suitable means may be used for this purpose. Y

The top of the housing 26 may be closed by a cover 164 with means being provided affording access into the housing 26 for adjustment of the position of connecting rod 138.

Although not necessary, the needles 22 may be mounted in appropriate holes in their carrier 24 for individual vertical adjustment, as by use of set screws (not shown) screwed intothe carrier and engaging the needles.- And the length of rod 138 may be adjustable, if desired, such as by. providing an adjusting stud 160 threadedly .con-

nected atits ends to the upper and lower sections of the rod 138, with lock nuts 162 locking the stud in desired position;

"The present invention will thus be seen to'com'pletely and 'etfectively'accomplish the objects enumerated hereinabo've. "It will be realized, however, .that .various changes andsu'ostitutions may be made to the specific embodiments disclosed herein for the purpose of illustrating the principles of this invention, without departing from these principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a tufting machine having a needle bar, a threadcarrying needle fixed to said bar, and a thread engageable member vertically spaced therefrom, means for supporting a workpiece and disposed intermediate said needle and said member, means for reciprocating said needle in a stroke extending between a first point adjacent said member and a second point vertically spaced therefrom, said needle passing thru said workpiece to form face piles therein, means for vertically adjusting said supporting means to vary the depth of face piles formed in the workpiece and means for adjusting the stroke of said needle without changing the position of said first point thereof and without changing the position of said needle relative to said needle bar, said means for adjusting the stroke of said needle comprising only one adjustable connection.

2. In a tufting machine having a needle bar, a needle fixed to said bar, a thread engageable member spaced in general vertical alignment therewith, and means for supporting a workpiece intermediate said needle and ,said member, the improvement which comprises: means for reciprocating said needle in a stroke extending between a first point adjacent said member and a second point vertically spaced therefrom, and means for adjusting the stroke of said needle without changing the position of the first point thereof and without changing the position of said needlerelative to said needle bar, said means for adjusting the stroke of said needle comprising only one adjustable connection.

3. In a tufting machine having a needle bar, a gang of vertical needles fixed to said bar, and a gang of thread engageable members arranged in generally vertical alignment therewith, means for reciprocating said needles in an adjustable vertical stroke extending between a first limiting point adjacent said members and a second limiting point vertically spaced therefrom, said means including: a horizontal main shaft operatively connected to said .needles to impart vertical movement thereto, a driving cam shaft parallel to said main shaft, a circular cam eccentrically mounted on said cam shaft, a connecting rod journalled at one end to said cam, an arcuate lever engaged to said main shaft and extending along a circular path having a radius of curvature drawn from the center of said cam when said needles are substantially in their lowermost position; means detachably connecting said connecting rod to said le'ver outwardly of said main shaft; and means for varying the point of detachable connection of said connecting rod along said lever whereby the uppermostpoint of the stroke of said needles is varied without varyingthe lowermost point. I I M 4. A tufting machine having a frame, a horizontal main shaft rotatably; carriedlby said frame, a gang of needles, means drivingly; connecting said needles to' sai d main shaft for imparting vertical movement to said needles, a gang of thread engageable members arranged beneath said needles, means for supporting a workpiece intermediate said members and said needles, means for penodically rotating said main shaft in opposite directions to reciprocate said needles in a'stroke extending between afirst point adjacent said members and a second point vertically spaced therefrom, and means for adjusting the stroke of the needles without changing the position of the first point thereof, said periodically rotating and adjusting means includingacam shaft spaced from and parallel to said main shaft, a leverextendingfrornsaid main shaft and "a connecting rod'eng'aged at one end'to said cam shaft, and an adjustable connection'between the other end of said rod and said lever, said means for adjusting the stroke of the needles comprising said adjustable connection.

5. The structure defined in claim 4 wherein said periodically rotating and adjusting means further includes a circular cam eccentrically affixed to said cam shaft, said connecting rod being journalled to said cam at one end thereof and detachably engaged to said lever at the other end thereof, said lever extending along a circular path having a radius of curvature drawn from the center of said cam when said needles are substantially at said first point, and means for changing the point of engagement of said rod to said lever along a circularly arcuate path having a radius of curvature extending from the center of said circular cam when said needles are substantially at said first point.

6. In a tufting machine having a vertically reciprocating needle and a thread engageable member spaced in general vertical alignment therewith, means for supporting a workpiece, said means including: a bed plate; a unitary needle plate and needle stripper, said needle plate being mounted on said bed plate on one side of said needle and intermediate said needle and said member,

said needle stripper being disposed on the opposite side of said needle, and said needle plate and said needle stripper forming aworkpiece passageway therebetween.

7. The structure defined in claim 6 further comprising means operatively'engaged to said needle plate and pro- I viding for vertical adjustment of said needle plate and said needle stripper as a unit, and relative to said bed plate.

8. In a tufting machine having a gang of vertically reciprocating needles and a gang of thread engageable members arranged in generally vertical alignment therewith, the improvement which comprises: a needle plate and a needle stripper arranged on opposite sidesof said needles intermediate said needles and said members and forming a workpiece passageway therebetween; means connecting said stripper to said plate to form a unitary structure; and means providing for vertical adjustment ofsaid plate and said stripper as a unit.

9. In a tufting machine having a frame, a needle mounted in said frame for vertical reciprocation, a thread engageable member mounted in said frame in generally vertical alignment with said needle, the improvement which comprises: a unitary needle plate and needle stripper disposed intermediate said needle and said member, said frame including means for supporting said needle plate and needle stripper inoperative position wherein said needle plate and said needle stripper are on opposite sides of said needle, said needle plate and needle stripper forming a workpiece passageway therebetween, and means operatively connected to said needle plate and engaged to said frame providing for vertical adjustment of said needle plate and said needle stripper as a unit.

10. The structure defined'in claim 9 wherein a vertical member depends from said needle plateand wherein said means providing for vertical adjustment includes: a vertical rack mounted on said vertical member; a pinion engaging said rack; and manually operable means carried by said frame for rotating said pinion.

11. In a tufting machine having a needle bar, a threadcarrying needle fixed to said bar, and a thread engageable member arranged in generally vertical alignment therewith, -a needle plate and a needle stripper arranged intermediate said needle and said member, said needle plate and stripper forming a workpiece passageway therebetween; means for vertically reciprocating said needle relative to said member in a stroke extending between a first limiting point adjacent said member and a second limiting point vertically spaced therefrom, said needle passing through said workpiece to form face piles therein; means providing for vertical adjustment of said plate and said stripper as a unit tovary the depth of face piles formed in the workpiece by said needle; and means for adjusting the stroke of said needle so that said second point varies while said first point remains unchanged and without changing'the position of said needle relative to said bar.

12. In a tufting machine having a needle bar, a gang of thread-carrying needles fixed to said bar, and a gang of thread engageable members arranged in generally vertical alignment therewith; means for supporting a workpiece disposed intermediate said needles and said members; mean for vertically adjusting said supporting means to vary the depth of face piles formed in the workpiece; means for vertically reciprocating said needles relative to said members and in an adjustable stroke, extending between a first limiting point adjacent said members and a second limiting point vertically spaced therefrom, said needles passing through said workpiece to form face piles therein, the length of said face piles being changed upon adjustment of said supporting means and the stroke of said needles, said reciprocating means for said needles including a horizontal main shaft operatively connected to said needles to impart vertical movement thereto, a driving cam shaft parallel to said main shaft, a circular cam eccentrically mounted on said cam shaft, a connecting rod journalled at one end to said cam, an arcuate lever engagedto said main shaft and extending along a circular path having a radius of curvature drawn from the center of said cam when said needles are substantially in said first limiting point position, means detachably connecting said connecting rod to said lever outwardly of said main shaft, and means for varying the point of detachable connection of said connecting rod along said lever whereby the second limiting point of the stroke of said needles is varied without varying the first limiting point and without changing the position of said needle relative to said needlebar.

13. The structure defined in claim 12 in which said workpiece supporting means comprises a needle plate and a needle stripper arranged in opposite sides of said needles forming a workpiece passageway therebetween, and wherein said means providing for verticaladjustment of said workpiece supporting means comprises a vertical rack drivingly connected to said plate and a pinion engaging said rack whereby said plate and said stripper are adjusted as -a unit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,772,993 Grutter Aug. 12, 1930 1,863,049 Hermann June 14, 1932. 1,907,292 Gladish May 2, 1933 2,365,013 Sharkey et a1. Dec. 12, 1944 2,411,267 Hamrick Nov. 19, 1946 2,449,529 Hofmann Sept. 14, 1948 2,533,420 Blumfield Dec. 12, 1950 2,697,995 Nicolay Dec. 28, 1954 2,742,010 Rabezzana Apr. 17, 1956 2,837,045 Gifford June 3, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,111 Great Britain of 1891 6,792 Great Britain a of 1902 635,817 Great Britain Apr. 19, 1950 

